


The Perfect Tree

by Babashook



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Christmas, Fighting, M/M, Marriage, tree - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-23 19:59:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17086772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babashook/pseuds/Babashook
Summary: Rhett and Link find the perfect Christmas tree





	The Perfect Tree

“But you promised we’d go today. Rhett!”

Link pouts as he stares at his husband, who hasn’t even started getting out of bed yet. Link is fully dressed and clearly ran out of patience a long time ago. 

“I know, but can’t the tree wait an hour? I need my beauty sleep.”

To emphasize the point, Rhett flutters his eyelashes dramatically in Link’s direction. 

Link is on the merge of an angry meltdown as he rips the blankets off of Rhett and starts throwing clothes in his direction.

“Ah! It’s cold! I need protection from the elements.”

Rhett fights for the blanket back.

“GET DRESSED!”, Link shouts as he starts pulling at Rhett’s feet. 

Rhett sighs, realizing that he’s going to lose this battle so he may as well not piss off husband more than he already has. 

He quickly throws on the ugly Christmas sweater Link tossed his way, a pair of jeans and laces up his boots. He glances at the mirror and tries to fix up his hair but the glare he’s getting from the other room is threatening enough for him to just throw a winter hat over his wild bedhead. He throws on a scarf and grumbles as they head out the door..

By the time they’ve gotten to the car, Link’s rage has entirely vanished. He hops into the driver’s seat with all the bubbling excitement of a child at Christmas. 

Meanwhile, Rhett sits in the passenger seat looking like the ghost of Christmas past. 

Link immediately finds a radio station playing Christmas music 24/7 and cheerfully sings along to Nat King Cole. Despite being tired, Rhett can’t help but smile at how happy his husband is on this unusually frigid morning.

“You’re pretty damn cute?,” Rhett shoots over, looking at Link’s sparkling eyes.

Link grins and shoots back, “I know.” 

They arrive at the large Christmas tree farm only to realize just about everyone else in town has also decided that this is the perfect morning to pick out their tree. Rhett is deeply regretting not making Link wait until he could at least grab a cup of highly caffeinated tea. 

But as Rhett grumbles to himself, he glances over at Link and sees the determined game face of a man who isn’t going to let any crowd stop him from finding his one true pine love. He can’t help but smile, seeing his husband so set on the goal of Christmas perfection.

Link grabs Rhett’s hand tight and begins to drag him through the crowd to the back of the lot. He’s darting in and out is the crowd and aisles full of trees. He clearly has his eyes on something, though Rhett can’t tell on exactly what. 

“Wait, you’re sure you don’t want to check these ones out?” Rhett sputters out as he is dragged through the crowd. 

“No! I have a plan,” Link spits back, with a determined grin.

And off they go to the back of the crowded tree farm.

Suddenly Link hits the brakes, causing Rhett to nearly topple over him. He points at one of the trees.

“That one. That one is perfect.”

Rhett shakes his head in total disbelief.

“You saw that one all the way from the front?”

“Well, I am detail oriented.”

Rhett laughs.

“Yeah, but detail oriented doesn’t always translate into you being aware of your surroundings.”

Rhett watches as his husband ignores the comment, and continues to fawn over the tree. He lightly touches a branch here and there in delight. Already his mind is racing with possibilities of decorations. 

But when Link looks at the price tag, the joy seems to drain from his face.

“Oh. It’s a little expensive. Maybe we should find another one.”

Rhett shakes his head.

“No way. That’s the tree you want, that’s the tree we are getting. I’m not letting your frugalness stop us from getting the perfect tree for our first Christmas as a married couple.”

Link looks nervously at the tree and after a moment nods his head.

“Yeah, this is the perfect one, Rhett.”

And without any hesitation, Link threw his arms around the tree and gave it a huge hug. 

“You’re coming home with us!”

Rhett has been left to lug the tree in from the car to the house. He prays his back doesn’t give out as Link runs ahead to grab the box of ornaments and lights from the garage. 

Rhett wrestles with the tree before finally getting it positioned into the tree stand. He brushes pine needles off of his coat and is grumbling to himself when Link bounces into the room with a huge box of ornaments. Somewhere, he’s found a Santa hat. Rhett can’t help but smile at his absolute dork of a husband. 

“I found so many lights! I can’t believe my mom had all this old decorations in the house. They’re really cool.” 

Link drags out an impossible looking tangle of old lights. He looks over the mess with a glimmer of defiance. 

He immediately plops on the ground, surrounded by lights and cords and begins to carefully untangle the electrical rat’s nest.

Rhett runs his fingers through his thick blonde hair and laughs. 

“Well, you look like you’re in heaven. I’m going to make myself a cup of tea and put in a batch of cookies.”

Link, barely looking up from his project, grunts in approval. 

Rhett shakes his head, smiling to himself as he walks into the kitchen.

Rhett pulls the ready-to-bake chocolate chip cookie dough out of the fridge and begins to prep for baking. 

He watches Link from the kitchen, so focused on untangling the lights that the world around him seems to have disappeared. He smiles and sips his tea. The two of them have spent many Christmas’ together but this one? This Christmas where Link is his husband? That is magical. 

Link suddenly looks up from his task and pouts, “you didn’t save any of the cookie dough, did you?”

Rhett holds up a ball of the preciou raw cookie dough and says, “I’ll trade this last ball for a kiss.”

Link grins and throws his most wicked come hither expression and pulls Rhett down into his lap. They gently kiss and nuzzle noses. 

Rhett gives his a goofy grin and pops the cookie dough ball into Link’s mouth. 

Link points to his masterpiece - a completely untangled string of lights. He stands up and excitedly wraps them around the tree, plugs them in, and delights in flashing rainbow colors. 

Rhett takes a few of the ornaments and begins to place them on the tree. The decorations are a mix of gifts from friends and family, store bought ornaments.

Link’s eyes grow wide as Rhett begins to place them on the tree, almost at random. 

Link takes a deep breath and does his best not to push Rhett to the side to fix the tree. His hands shake as he watches Rhett clump some ornaments together and leave huge patches of the tree bare. 

Rhett smiles at the tree and looks to Link for approval. 

Link forces a grin, but as soon as Rhett steps out to check the cookies, Link dives at the tree to fill in the gaps and try to make order of the decorations.

He keeps glancing into the kitchen to make sure Rhett doesn’t see. Luckily, Rhett seems entirely occupied with the cookies. 

Link carefully rearranges two very special ornaments so they hang side by side. Both are similar looking baby blue balls that read - Baby’s First Christmas 1977 and Baby’s First Christmas 1978. 

And now the tree is perfect. Link grins to himself, thinking he’s just gotten away with redecorating when he notices Rhett watching him from the kitchen.

“I just… wanted to…”

Rhett frowns and shakes his head.

“Control everything? Make me feel like I can’t even decorate a tree right?”

Link shakes his head emphatically.

“No! I don’t think that at all. It’s just that some of the ornaments were a little…”

Rhett growls.

“They weren’t placed perfectly?!”

Link feels his breath growing ragged and tears forming in his eyes. He’s done it. He’s fucked up their first married Christmas. His hands are shaking and he begins to apologize before noticing something… familiar.

Rhett’s cheekbones are giving away Rhett’s terrible attempts not to burst out laughing.

“You screwed up the tree… on purpose?!”

Rhett’s mouth drops.

“You think I, Rhett James McLaughlin, would troll my perfectionist control freak husband on this most holy of holidays?!” 

Rhett begins to laugh so hard he’s gripping his sides.

“And you haven’t even noticed how crooked the star is yet!”

Link whirls around to see the star, not even placed on the highest branch, tilted at an ungodly angle.

He turns back to his husband and tackles him to the ground. Link pins Rhett down and begins tickling him.

“This is what you get you Christmas troll!”

Rhett wheezes and begs Link to stop but Link is relentless.

“You think you’re soooo funny.”

“I am funny. And cute. And you LOVE ME.”

Link laughs.

“Yeah. I do. It’s my curse to be in love with such a jerk.”

Link leans down and plants a kiss on Rhett. He lets him up and turns serious for a moment.

“Ok but really if you don’t fix that star, I swear to Baby Jesus I’m calling a divorce lawyer.”


End file.
